Laurel TAylor

Laurel Taylor, 22 years old from Montgomery, Alabama left for Nashville the summer of her high school graduation, and quickly found herself writing in top country circles. She competed on American Idol season 14, and made the Top 40. She began to have opportunities to play venues all over Nashville, the Eastern US, and even Switzerland.

However, Laurel was self destructing. She hit rock bottom and realized her life was completely empty. She had chased what she believed would make her happy only to discover there was no way it ever could because, as she says, “idols never will.”

Everything changed on January 13, 2015 when Laurel encountered the love and mercy of Jesus.

She was on her way to a meeting in town and was desperate enough to listen to the lyrics of a song that turned her world right side up. Her mother's prayers were working. At that moment Jesus did a complete 180 in her life. She recognized that Jesus was all that she had ever been longing for, and gave herself fully to Him that moment. She packed her bags, left the Nashville scene, and went back home to her family. She surrendered her music over to the Lord and finally began to actually live. She was changing. For the first time she no longer wanted to be front and center. She no longer wanted to go her own way but wanted to be in the will of God.

Since then the Lord has a done a fast and transformative work in her life. God has surrounded her with a strong community of believers and mentors. Laurel now resides in the home of Jennie Lee Riddle (author of Revelation Song) in La Porte, Indiana where she serves under her as a voice teacher, staff-writer, local worship leader, People & Songs missionary and artist in development.